It may be time
by KMA-KISS.MEH.ASS
Summary: A mission gone wrong. A life cut short? A demon on the loose, more lives on the line.*Finished
1. Chapter 1

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

One shot. (Maybe? I was thinking about making a story based around this...but let's see what you think.)

* * *

I recited without falter, without blunder, without stutter, without mispronunciation. In the darkness, with cameras watching and a victim at my feet, I stood. I recited with confidence, with the authority invested in me, with courage, with fear. He howled in rage, crawling his way closer, the ropes around his torso tight. I did as I was suppose to. I did as taught, as known to all. I did it by the book, with _the_ book. I used my materials with expertise, with practiced hands.

But why, oh why, was I now suspended a good fifteen feet in the air?

The air was cut from my lungs, my throat constricting with an invisible force.

I clawed at the force, trying in desperation and anger to choke out the words, to keep going and finish the job. I could hear a door slam open, could hear Mai and the others screaming - screaming my name, screaming their own chants and warding and spells. The creature flickered into visible existence, purple and black and reeking of burnt flesh and rotted meat, its grip tightening. I could hardly hear them, hear my friends, from under the roar, the slowly dying sloshing of my blood in my ears. My head felt like it might burst, my lungs searing with the white hot agony to breath.

My hands slipped to my sides - there was the thud of my book, the sound of metal clattering to hardwood - as it began to dance around, avoiding the others. My limbs felt very heavy, and the pain was slowly backing away. Blackness was washing over my vision, over my body and mind. It was cool and it was comforting...

And then I was falling.

"_John_!"

There was the sound of shattering glass...

And then there was nothing but a dark nothingness.

**Please Review!**

Should I make a story surrounding this?


	2. Chapter 2

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

This will be three chapters.

* * *

There were voices...female and male, scared and angry. But, what were they saying? I tried to focus, to ignore the sick rolling in my gut, the spinning of my senses that were still reeling, but everything was dark and getting quiet again.

"John!" I jolted slightly, my name cracking like a whip, like a demand and a plea, with fear and determination mingling in a strong voice. That voice shouldn't be ignored. But I didn't understand what he was saying. It sounded like gibberish, gibberish from under a slow current of water.

Or was it blood?

I forced my eyes open, feeling like I was ripping my eyelids as blinding darkness invaded the dim light. A man with long, light colored hair shouted over his shoulder - what was he saying? - and a light flared on from above. I squeezed my eyes shut, my face screwing in pain. I tried to turn my head away, but the sickening feeling returned ten fold and I gasped as sharp pain shot down my spine.

He put his hand on my shoulder, saying something very slowly. But _what was he saying_, God damn it?!

I don't understand; what's happened? More people crowded around. A girl with brown hair and wide eyes, lip quivering as she handed the man - he was wearing weird purple robes - a handful of white towels. A women with red hair bent down beside me, shining a light into my eyes. The man pressed the towels to my head, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw bright crimson soak into the material.

I could feel my eyes widen, knew the fear was clear in my face.

"John," the man said my name again. "John?"

But I couldn't answer. Fear was thick in my throat, rattling deep in my chest.

"John!" His voice cracked again, but this time, I could understand him. "You're gonna be fine. Okay? Stay awake."

"Monk..." my voice cracked. Memories flooded back, faster than a rollercoaster, blurred and fuzzy. Something huge and purple and reeking of death. Me, hanging almost twenty feet in the air. Unable to breath. Unable to speak.

"You'll be fine." He pressed the towel harder to the side of my head and I tried to shy away from it, but he held firm. "We gotta slow the bleeding, and - "

"The ambulance is here!" Mai cried, looking through the window. She rushed out the door and down the long hall.

"Did we...did we get it?" I asked, my voice hoarse with pain. Black spots danced on the edges of my vision; it was getting harder to stay awake. I needed to keep my eyes open, to stay alert...but I was so very tired. A few minutes couldn't hurt anything, right? Just enough to stop the headache. Naps always help. Its not like I had to go anywhere special, anyway.

"Yeah, John. We got it." Monk tried to smile, but failed. His eyes shone with worry, blood was soiling the towel and his hand. I could see it still, though he was trying to keep my head from moving. To keep me from seeing it.

"That's...good." Darkness swirled around my vision.

Fear clawed its way into his voice, making it high pitched, "John, man, _you gotta stay awake_! _John_!"

The darkness rose up to meet me once more.


	3. Chapter 3

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

Make that four chapters.

* * *

At first, I couldn't make out what I was looking at.

There were bumps jolting and shaking the equpiment inside the vehical, moving the stretcher I was laying on. There was a man working, is hands steady but movement jerky and beginning to panic, "We're losing him! Go faster!"

I stared down at my own body, almost like I was looking into a mirror. The wound on my head, starting from my brow and running to the back of my skull, had been sloppily stitched in an effort to stop the bleeding, but blood had already soaked my hair and clothes. I could see splotches of it marring the silken fabirc of my purple scarf. Blood was smeared across my face, my eyes still and lips tinting a ghastly blue. My priest uniform had been opened to reveal glass embedded deeply into my skin, blood oozing from the angry looking wounds.

My eyes were drawn to the purple silk. I hoped I could save that artical of clothing. It had been a gift from Father Eli from Australia. He had given it to me before I left, as a froget-us-not gift. He had been so worried when I had moved to Japan's newest monestary. I sat down, trying to stay out of the man's way. I didn't want to be in his way. It looked like he was trying to do something important.

Deep down, I knew I should be worried.

Especially when he put that mask over my face, and started to pump my chest. "Breath, kid! Come on, don't die on me!"

Death?

So this is what death was like. It was like floating on a cloud, a strong river current dragging you one way and a hand gripping you tight to the earth. Nothing made sence, but it was understandable. I frowned again; I didn't like it. I wanted to go home.

A blinding white light poured down from the top of the van. It was warm, and there was laughter - voices I knew, from the very edges of my memories. I squinted in the light, wondering why the man didn't give pause, why he wasn't stopping to look up like I was. I stood, looking back down at my reflection and the blood.

_The choice is yours, my child._

I looked up again, but now everything had hit home. I was _dead_. I could go with Him, the one belief that held firm throughout the years, the one person who could give me back my family. I could stay here, with the blood and the pain and the loneliness. I_ understood_.

"I-"


	4. Chapter 4

I do Not own the Anime/Manga Ghost Hunt, or its characters.

Make that four chapters.

* * *

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

I felt my face twitch in irritation; what was that God forsaken noise? It just kept going on and on and on, making me become more and more awake, when all I wanted to do was sleep. Why wouldn't it stop? And the low noise. I could swear I could hear a conversation, a heavy and soft conversation. A conversation where the words weren't really words.

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

There was the sound of a door opening, and a young girl's voice. I would have jumped at the sound - it being louder than everything else combined, sending spikes of pain through my skull - if not for the fact that my body felt like it was weighed down by blocks of ice and cement. And she too was talking with not-words.

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

I could see light behind my eyelids, bright and red because my eyes were closed. I should probably open them. Tell them to be quiet. They weren't loud, but I could hear them like a demon's whisper, just loud enough to make you wonder if you were actually awake, dead or crazy. Why won't that noise quit?!

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

But, sleep was already dragging at me. Pulling me deeper into a sea of warmth and quiet. It was cold here, smelling strongly of disinfectant and fear. I should just let sleep pull me away. My head was beginning to hurt, pounding and pounding in sync with my heart. My heart was hammering against my ribs, now that I was paying it more attention. It hurt. Everything hurt.

What had happened?

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

Why won't that noise quit?!

_Beep...Beeep...Beep...Beep..._

Hey, the noise changed for a moment. Not much of a change, really. I wouldn't have noticed, if I hadn't been paying attention. But there was silence. The voices had stopped, and I could feel nervous energy shifting the air all around me.

I should open my eyes. Tell them to go away. I want to sleep, because the pain is coming. Its going to get too strong soon. I don't like the pain. Sleep. Sleep was good. I could feel myself relaxing into myself. I could feel my mind slipping away from reality, or whatever this was. But someone put their hand on my shoulder.

I couldn't stop myself from groaning.

I wanted to sleep. Couldn't they see that?

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

"John, man, you awake?" The voice was soft, as though afraid to wake me if I were asleep - which I wasn't, thank to him. He spoke in not-words, but these not-words were louder than the others, which had gone quite. These not-words, I could understand, though it was agony to focus on them enough to understand them.

In response to his question, I forced my eyes open. It took a few tries - it was blindingly white, light falling from the ceiling above my head. At first, everything was blurred and fuzzy, but it all sorted itself out after a moment.

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

"You gave us quite the scare, John." Ayako sniffed, eyes shining.

"How do you feel?" Mai leaned over the other side of the bed, careful of wires and tubes.

I looked down. I was wearing a soft blue hospital outfit, wires running from my chest and arm. Bandages were wrapped around my chest and both arms - I could feel the same material on my head. There was a tube attached to my face, wrapped around my ears, and cold air was gushing into my nose.

I glanced around; the entire team - even Naru himself - was in the room. Masako had fallen asleep on the sofa. Lin and Naru were in the corner; Mai and Ayako stood on one side of the bed, while Monk was on the other.

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

"Will...someone _please_...turning that beeping off?" My voice was hoarse, sounding like it was coming through glass and blood.

Everyone who was awake shared a look, and then burst into hysterical laughter. I felt color rise to my cheeks, and I looked around for an explanation, for an answer. Monk clapped my shoulder, "You'll be just fine."

_Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep..._

_Please, God in heaven, make that noise stop._

**Done! So what'ch'ya think?**

**Please review!**


End file.
